1950's Jet Powered Deuce

[wingnutz]

I'm looking for the article in "Hot Rod"?? (1956-1958??) about a jet engined powered "Deuce Roadster" (and not The Coors Silver Bullet!)

I can't remember if they made it streetable or just for the "Lakes". I'm also very curiouse if anybody knows of it's whereabouts? http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

There is a method to the madness! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Mark

[VAPHEAD]

If heard it run!It was built for the street by a Boeing employee.It is in Tacoma in the Harold Lemay collection.

[VAPHEAD]

I have heard it run.That's what I meant to type.
Harold Lemay is now dead.
His family is putting together a museum at the Tacoma dome
area.They and the city are working together to get it done.
He was considered the owner of the largest car collection in the world.It was open to the public one day a year.
Quite impressive to say the least!

[Bruce Lancaster]

I don't remember any HRM articles, but it was featured in Car Life--an issue with a 427 Ford engine on the cover--about '63, and in Pop Sience/Mechanics too. It was an amazingly stock vehicle--the turbine's reduction case bolted to the '32 crossmember and torquetube. It was fully streetable, but lacked a reverse. The exhaust was a bit of a public menace, though, probably capable of incinerating stray pedestrians.

[wingnutz]

Thanks Bruce

I do remember that car sitting pretty high in the saddle!

But I couldn't remember if they ran it to 150 mph or just estimated the speed it would do if someone were crazy enough to drive that thing! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

I'd like to know how much it weighed? What type of helicopter engine? What was the torque and horspower on that power plant! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

It was funny about torching everything that came too close to the exhaust! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif Kinda like my friends boat pictured on this site! http://home.earthlink.net/~texasturbine/ http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

He just put a bigger turbine c-20 into the boat and happens to have the c-18 for sale..., With spare Drive shaft! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Mark

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I saw it last year sitting in the Petersen Museum.

[Paul]

I've seen it a few times at his open houses,
it's a little yellow roadster.

I think the engine's a Lycoming, don't remember what size though..

the horsepower rating was only a couple hundred but it spun at something like 25,000 rpm.

Paul

[sawzall]

that car was at the goodguys show in pullallyup washington this summer. I walked past it 3 times before I paid attention to the mill. pretty much just another douche'
with a chopper engine

[wingnutz]

60's style

Was that at the Harold Lemay open house that Vaphead mentioned? Or at the Peterson Museum that JimA mentioned?
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
Mark

[Cword]

try this link
http://www.lemaymuseum.org/collection/fullstory.cfm?nIndex=56&fPage=./featured

http://www.lemaymuseum.org/graphics/Roadster.jpg
Quote from the LeMay museum site. "Yes, in the summer of 1962, when he had the opportunity to purchase a Boeing 502-8B turbine engine, it seemed completely logical to Williams to install the 272-pounds of raw power in his ’32 Ford Roadster."

mike

[Mart]

Yeah I remember seeing some shots of that in a mag. The exhaust was big like the ricers use.
Like sort of mentioned above it was a gas turbine motor rather than a "jet" engine. There is a difference.
Dodge ran a fleet of gas turbine powered cars and crushed all but one (I think) and rover also built a gas turbine powered prototype.
Mart.

[wingnutz]

Mart

I believe that this car had the JP4 version.

I remember seeing the Chrysler Gas Turbine car at the Harrahs Auto museum in Sparks Nevada. Got some photo's of that car somewhere! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

But more interesting there was a movie with Doug McClure and "Fabian?" in it that was a story about the gas turbine cars. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Does anybody know the name of that movie? The Reward is a..., "shiney new dime"! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif Honest I'd like to know myself! And I'd like to know if it's on Video or DVD?

Mark

[lurker mick]

Wingnutz, I believe you are thinking of "The Lively Set" from 1964. It starred Doug Mclure, Pamela Tiffin and James Darren (not Fabian).Mickey Thompson & Jim "Jazzy" Nelson were also in the film.
I have a copy of it on vhs and you can probably get on dvd also.
It has some pretty good shots of hot rods (the updated version of the Eddie Dye roadster) and was based upon a cross country race with the gas turbine car.
Mick

[Paul]

the lively set

[wingnutz]

Lurker Mick

Bingo!!!! Where do I send your "Shiney New Dime"? http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Mark

[lurker mick]

Wingnutz, send the dime to Ryan, might be what saves the HAMB! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[old beet]

I know it sounds like a jet plane landing when he pulls in. And Harold steps out, wearing size 9 1/2 bowling shoes, and his wifes shoes are smokin, he grabs K- Member and tells him everything about it(very proud) that day. Harold R.I.P. is one of a kind.......OLDBEET

[coupeHEAD]

I have a magazine with the Chrysler Turbine featured, somewhere around my house. If I remember correctly it said there are only 3 left and only one is running. Chrysler still owns one, one is in Europe and the other is in a private collection. All the big three companies built turbines in the sixties but Ford and Chevy scrapped all their cars when they were finished with the experimentation and had no further use for them.

[SimonSez]

I have seen a feature on the turbine powered '32. I have a feeling it was in American Rodder ?

[candyman]

The lemay jey powered roadster is a two time world record holder. One is from the engine. I guess it flew at the highest altitude. The car itself set a record for speed at bonneville. I am not sure what speed record though. Very interesting car. The whole damn Lemay collection is just awe inspiring. Dood has everything. He was a hell of a nice guy too. My lady sat in one of his cars shootin' the shit with him at a show. Always had a spark in his eye when it came to cars. A true gear head. Just was lucky enough to be rich as well. I can't wait for the museum to open. It is going to be something else. Interactive displays and everything.

[wingnutz]

Since this turbine was in a Cessna which set the altitude record, I'm assuming that it ran on JP4 (jet fuel) and is not a gas turbine?

I looked up that engine and it gave me no indication whether or not it was gas or fuel?

The Chrysler cars were gas turbines but I think that the roadster ran on fuel... seem logical? (That thing must have a large fuel tank!)

Anyone know what speed it ran at Bonneville?

Mark

[VespaJay]

For the full story on the Chrysler Turbines, including what happened to each of them, check out this site:
http://www.turbinecar.com/turbine.htm

For the roadster, I swear that HRM did an article in the early early 60's about it, but can't recall which issue. I'll dig out the collection and try to find it.

[old beet]

Chrysler Turbines-- A dentist in my neighborhood had one for a test from Chrysler, I think it was about 56-57. It looked similar to a 64 T-Bird. Remember it had lots of controls and gauges inside and sounded funny. He said they let him drive for 6 months, don't know how many they did that way.......OLDBEET

[stealthcruiser]

gas turbine: just another name for a gas generator,to generate hot gasses to flow across a turbine to generate power(for a prop shaft for instance,or generator set),or generate hot expanding gases for creating thrust.
they will run on anything(diesel fuel ,jet a ,j-p 4,natural gas,bunker-c,which is damn near crude oil).
they kick ass.

[Rolf]

Speaking of LeMay, if you can make it to Tacoma area in the fall, make sure to attent the open house.

I wrote an article about it here (http://www.classicroad.com/lemay/index.htm)

[Rolf]

I don't want to hijack the post, but LeMay was the owner of the garbage collection for the Tacoma area for many year. It must have been lucrative contracts, since he bought collector cars like they were going out of style! It was a private collection for years, so that's probably why you didn't hear of it before. It is absolutely mind-boggling!

Back to talk about jet cars...

[wingnutz]

Rolf...., Your not stealing the post you are answering questions...!

All the while I thought that the "Harrah's" auto collection was the biggest in the world and I've seen that several times before his family sold it off!

Hopefully..., from the sound of it... his family is at least trying to preserve the collection..., Thats Cool! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

It would be great to see and hear that Deuce in person. and it looks like I have another place, I have to put on my "MUST VISIT LIST" when I'm in the PAC N.W.! Thanks! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Mark

[candyman]

Wingnutz... the engine is a 502-8b Boeing turbine engine. The altitude record set was for an army cessna L-19 observation plane. C-1-B class @ 37,063 feet above sea level. The web page doesn't say anything about it's bonneville times. It did however mention that it road a respectable 134 mph before the addition of the turbine engine in the summer of '54.

For more information go to the harold lemay museum web site.

http://www.lemaymuseum.org/collection/fullstory.cfm?nIndex=56&fPage=./featured

[junk runner jr]

My Classic Car with Denis Guage did a feature on the turbin powerd Chrysler a while back. They showed Denis cruising around town in it with the owner.

[Bruce Lancaster]

Another garbage man/well-heeled car nut: J.C. Agajanian, who sponsored Indy cars in the fifties and sixties. Garbage apparently good. Garbage in, money out?

[himmelberg]

July '62 HRM has an article about the deuce with hot breath...

[coupeHEAD]

It's always the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. You can buy your admission from the Lemay website and save a few bucks.